Glen Beck , who I admire, for exposing socialist/Marxist corruption in the current administration and for his passion in educating the public on the Republic, the Constitution, and U.S. History, has taken an unfortunate turn. Armed with a values centered theme of Faith, Hope, and Charity, he seeks to restore America to its foundational purity. On the surface, this seems an admirable and necessary goal.
Beck ties the ability of the Founding Fathers to undertake the American Revolution to the effects of the first Great Awakening. This position has strong historical consensus. It is an undeniable fact that the Great Awakening was an inherently Christian movement based on a salvation and sanctification through Jesus Christ resulting in a personal relationship with Him.
Currently Beck calls, as he did in Washington D.C. on Aug. 28, for a third Great Awakening. (Just calling it a third might be a matter of dispute, as some historians claim there was already a third one beginning in 1857.) Whereas, I can ignore an occasional exaggeration, historical misinterpretation, or even set aside Beck's irritating dismissal of the President's birth status controversy, to listen to him speak on the many areas where we agree, he has placed in my path a critical divide-an essential matter of faith.
Beck's pseudo-Awakening is not a Christian movement, and therefore, cannot be a Great Awakening. Neither could it produce the desired effects of the genuine movements. Beck's is man-based and universalist concept that calls for every man who cherishes the core values to call on his own god and look to that divine spark that each man carries within himself for guidance.
True works of the Holy Spirit, the Great Awakenings were purely Christian. I do not swallow that each of us has a "divine spark". Unsaved, each of is a depraved sinner, separated from God. You, also, cannot have a Great Awakening led by a Mormon. A Mormon might be a constitutionalist, moral, sincere, and any number of desirable things, but he is not a Christian, as defined by Scripture.
In fact, the Bible has provided us with the a very succinct guideline to check out the whole of Mormon theology. Paul was having his own trouble with individuals preaching another gospel and wrote in Galatians:
Gal !:6 I marvel that you so soon are being moved away from Him who called you into the grace of Christ, to another gospel,
Gal 1:7 which is not another, but some are troubling you, and desiring to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But even if we or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, and now I say again, If anyone preaches a gospel to you beside what you have received, let him be accursed.
Joseph Smith the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (Mormon) reputed to have received the other gospel, the Book of Mormon, on golden tablets from the angel Moroni. Amazing that centuries before, we had been left a warning against a future, powerful deception. Believing Christendom has become very complacent and accepting of Mormons, because they are an appealing group. They are a moral, patriotic, clean-living,family-oriented, and charitable. Yet, they are not just another Christian denomination; they are heretics, because they have embraced a radically changed gospel.
Faith, hope and charity are not just "values" people!!! They are gifts of the Holy Spirit to true believers. In the regenerate heart of a believer, these life-changing gifts impact others in ever widening circles-family, friends, neighborhood, community, city, state, nation. That is how the first Great Awakening resulted in the founding of our Republic and its parallel in Great Britain saved that country from a bloody "French-style" revolution. The Second Great Awakening produced the anti-slavery movements and missionary movements on both sides of the Atlantic.
Beck's movement is doomed. A movement based on values will collapse on itself, because unlike the true gifts, mere values can be eroded. Beck is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Sadly, I could believe that he may not even realize that he's been hiding the sheep pen dressed in disguise. Fellow believers, pray that the Holy Spirit reveal the truth to him and that he repents and that Glen Beck experiences a personal and genuine great awakening.
For the present, believers cannot choose to invest their time, effort, and money(even indirectly) into a man who is misdirecting us from the truth of God's Word no matter how much his words tickle our ears, or stir our hearts. Be led by the Spirit of God and not the spirit of a man.
"D"
